


Avenging Love: Assemble

by xsimkat



Series: Avenging Love Series [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Awkward Flirting, Awkward Steve Rogers, Epic Friendship, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Humor, Love Confessions, The Avengers (2012) Compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-07
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2019-05-03 14:37:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14571117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xsimkat/pseuds/xsimkat
Summary: The Avengers have to face Loki and the Chitauri army, but how can they do that when they can't get along? Fearing Phase One is falling apart before it gets started, Fury calls in backup. Phoebe Reynolds, an enhanced agent of SHIELD, arrives to help, but what she doesn't expect is to start falling in love with Steve Rogers.





	1. In the Dark

Wasn’t the point of having the day off **_not_** come in to work? That particular question swirled in Phoebe Reynolds’s mind while she was being hunted down in an abandoned warehouse near the Hudson river.

An incoming call to her earwig came in. It was Maria Hill, who was overseeing the mission from her current location. _“Agent Ren, there is a missile incoming on your left. Get out of the building. Forget about those glutes.”_

“Come on, Maria. You know me better than that.”

Phoebe was one of _S.H.I.E.L.D._ ’s best agents even without her enhanced powers that were a result of the super soldier serum used to cure her crippling disease. She didn’t choose to be an agent of _S.H.I.E.L.D._ Howard Stark announced the successful re-creation of the serum several months after Phoebe awakened from her coma. Mr. Stark died in a car crash in 1991 while in possession of the recreated super soldier serum that very night, suggesting his death and the death of his wife was more than just a freak accident. For Phoebe’s protection – and the protection of Howard’s assistant, Phoebe’s father, Dr. Richard Reynolds – Tony Stark was ordered by his father to hand them both over to _S.H.I.E.L.D._

And they were safe. For a while, at least. Phoebe took classes online and with a tutor, earning a degree in psychology while also learning various forms of martial arts – from aikido to jujitsu. Her father studied in _S.H.I.E.L.D.’s_ lab, providing agents with new suits made of fibers able to withstand more impact without the additional weight. He created electro-magnetic weaponry for both defensive and offensive measures. _S.H.I.E.L.D._ provided a safe house with constant vigilance. After five years under their protection without incident, Dr. Reynolds wanted his family out. He felt they weren’t in any danger and demanded the freedom to walk to the park without personnel watching them from an SUV across the street. Unfortunately, Dr. Reynolds spoke too soon. Two weeks later, in 1996, Phoebe’s father was killed while exiting their main office in the city, shot between the eyes. Fury found him and Phoebe was immediately taken to a safe house off shore until deemed fit to bring her back. When she returned to New York six months after his death, she joined _S.H.I.E.L.D._ as an agent, putting her degree and training to good use.

That was twenty years ago. Phoebe still hasn’t aged a day.

Phoebe raced through the second floor of the warehouse. Of the six men who chased her, two survived her offensive attacks. Warning bullets fired in her direction and she took cover behind a few wooden crates. Her attackers worked for an adjunct company of _HYDRA_ , building high-tech weapons using stolen and black-marketed parts of _Stark Industries_ weapons since Tony Stark announced his company’s sudden weapon production cessation. It was up to Phoebe to stop the weapons cargo from leaving the docks and shipping halfway around the world.

No pressure.

Another call came through her earwig. _“You gotta get going, Phoebe. Cargo has been stopped. Repeat, the cargo has stopped.”_

“Copy that, Agent. I’m headed for the southwest stairwell,” Phoebe said.

_“You might wanna pick up the pace.”_

“I don’t have super speed ya know,” she quipped. Bullets flew passed the crates, one of them nicking her shoulder and tearing her new fuchsia-lined bodysuit. “Okay, these guys are getting on my nerves.”

Maria alerted Phoebe. _“I have three men running up the southwest stairwell. Headed your way.”_

There was silence coming from across the room. Phoebe took the opportunity to reach for her gun while the men mumbled back and forth in another language that sounded extremely close to the Russian Phoebe’s heard Nat use once in a blue moon.

Phoebe waited until they were within range before she cocked her gun. The creaking of the floorboard alerted her to their location and she shoved the crate that was once her cover as her weapon, knocking them to the ground. She leaped over the crate, and the HYDRA lackey punched her in the side, to no effect. Phoebe squeezed his neck and punched him hard in the nose, knocking him out cold. From the floor, the second gunman opened fire. Phoebe jumped over another crate that was in her way and ducked behind a wall. She fired wildly in their direction, managing a shot to his head. The one remained unconscious, so she made a break for the stairs.

Three men approached from the stairwell that Maria warned her about. Bullets went flying again and Phoebe lunged out of the line of fire behind some metal equipment. The bullets finally stopped, but Phoebe knew better than to assume surrender. She heard a pair of footsteps approaching. The first one was easy to take out; a simple gunshot to the head was all it took. But the last two were a bit more complicated. They took turns punching her in the jaw, the nose, anywhere they could get their fists on before kicking her back until she was spitting out chunks of concrete dust. Her pain tolerance was extremely high, but the constant battering was starting to hurt. She turned her back and blocked the man’s gun heading straight for her head. She pushed the gun upwards, hitting him in the jaw, then kneeing the second one in the crotch, and allowing her to get up. She rolled forward, pivoted and used both guns in her belt to shoot them, killing them both.

Phoebe touched her earwig. _“Clear on the second floor. Headed out the South window. Be ready for me._

 _“Copy that,”_ Maria responded. _“Your bird is on auto and is awaiting your return.”_

Phoebe knew the rules. No using her powers in public. But she quickly learned they were a part of her forever, and it was wrong to deny who she was. So together, Nat and Phoebe came up with a cute little trick that allowed Phoebe to use her powers that wasn’t in battle. And she knew Fury wouldn’t find out because Maria kept the best secrets. Igniting her powers, she shot an energy blast through the window and took a deep breath. She ran for the window, levitating herself higher into the air until she poked through the floor compartment of the jet. She shut it as soon as she was inside.

“I am inside the quinjet,” Phoebe told Maria.

 _“Loud and clear, Agent. Bird is en route,”_ Maria said and a button on Phoebe’s jet turned green. _“Hold on_ ,” Maria said.

Phoebe teetered to the side, eventually finding balance by leaning against the wall. The glow of her hands sputtered to a stop. She reached to hold a support beam on the jet, but winced just slightly. The gunshot wound on her shoulder was a hair deeper than a nick. She made it to the Pilot’s seat and collapsed down on the plush leather.

 _Finally, a moment to breathe…_ Phoebe thought.

“Rough day at the office?” Natasha’s webcam blinked in the corner of the window. Phoebe opened a line of communication.

“Same old, same old,” Phoebe said, glancing at the wound with a shrug. “It’s not too terrible.”

“Says the woman who feels no pain,” Natasha quipped.

“I feel pain.” Phoebe held her hand over the wound. A bright fuchsia aura wrapped around the wound, mending the flesh back together entirely. “It just takes a lot for me. Where are you?”

Natasha’s expression changed quickly. Too quickly. “On a mission. Clint’s been compromised.”

Phoebe acted quickly, pulling up a search grid on a second screen. “Give me your coordinates. I’m on my way.”

Natasha shook her head. “No.”

Phoebe stilled in her seat, fingers hovered over the GPS. “Why not?”

Natasha’s voice was muffled by sounds of another phone call coming in. Nick Fury. Phoebe wanted to ignore him, to find out what was happening, but instincts took over and she switched the call over to the director.

“Sir,” Phoebe greeted, though she wished she could hang up.

“Report, Agent."

Phoebe responded in a dull tone, as if she’d rehearsed it dozens of times before. ““Mission complete. Zero injuries to report. Power usage kept to a minimum. Tactical takedowns only, zero enhanced.”

 “Good work,” Fury said. “I’m sending you coordinates to land.”

“Sir?” Phoebe began before being interrupted.

“I need you on another mission,” Fury responded, his voice dulled by the whirling jets spinning towards the desired location.

 “Any intel or am I in the dark?” she asked.

“All I can say is that we need _you_ , Agent Ren,” Fury said before cutting out.

 _“_ Okay, where am I going?” Phoebe jiggled, switched and flicked buttons to find the coordinates, but Fury was too good at his job. She had no access to that specific intel.

She was flying a jet with its own agenda.


	2. Smitten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phoebe's task at bringing the Avenger's together starts off on the wrong foot when she runs into Captain America.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to those who have read so far. This is a therapy for me, so I am not too concerned with comments and kudos. I just wanted to get my work out there. :)

Phoebe washed her face in the bathroom attached to the quinjet and applied a quick swipe of lip gloss. It was the best she could do without her makeup kit. Her strawberry blonde hair sat just above her chest, the kinks in her hair unraveling due to the heat, showing her natural curls that she’s hated since childhood. She was extremely nervous about this particular mission. Whatever it was, Fury was desperate. Phoebe was also excited. She loved going on missions, especially now that she could use her powers if needed, according to the digital intel that was sent to her jet’s data drive.

Phoebe rarely used her powers in public, a rule that Fury held very high for her to follow. Two years ago, just before Tony fought Ivan Vanko and Justin Hammer, Phoebe came face to face with the underground remains of _HYDRA_. Their leader, a man by the name of Vasily Karpov, saw her use her powers on national television to save the lives of ten children in a burning building by placing a force field around them. A bounty was put on her head, fulfilled by a mystery man that no one has ever seen, not even Phoebe. Unconscious and battered, Phoebe was trapped for several days, tortured and forced to use her powers for testing or die. She managed to use her powers to turn on her locator on her _Stark Industries_ wrist-com, allowing Iron Man to successfully rescue her. Karpov fled with the help of his ally. By the time Tony rescued her, she could barely keep control of her powers. Objects exploded with the point of a finger. Everything she touched became invisible. Whatever they did to her, it affected her molecule structure _again_. On the brink of death, Tony admitted that he was in love with her, which caused a speedbump in their friendship as Phoebe didn’t feel the same way.

At the time of Phoebe’s recovery, _S.H.I.E.L.D._ found out that Captain America’s shield had been found deep in the wreckage of Red Skull’s jet. Phoebe immediately jumped on the mission team to find him, going against Fury’s advisement to take another month off. She was gone for more than a year without contacting Tony before the body of Steve Rogers was found. Phoebe visited Tony when she came home only to find out that Tony was dying from the arc reactor poisoning his blood in the midst of battling Ivan Vanko. Phoebe had Fury pull the regenerative properties of her blood and inject it into Tony to save him until Tony found a replacement element. Phoebe personally delivers the injection, with a promise that she loves him, but that she knew he loved her because she was safe. Phoebe admits to him that Karpov's torture methods caused an adjustment within her powers. She can still manipulate molecules, but now she can also feel what other's feel. Because of Phoebe, Tony confessed to Pepper he was truly in love with her.

Phoebe’s jet landed inside the holding chamber where Fury and Tony waited near the gate. She could usually read Tony’s face without the use of her empathy, but today was different. His expression was flat. Only his lips changed, curving into the smallest form of a smile when she stepped out of the jet.

_Fear. Courage. Turmoil._

It took a lot for Tony to be shaken up, so Phoebe knew there was something dangerously wrong. Phoebe felt her nerves creep through her veins, but she willed them away for the sake of the mission. “Director Fury,” she greeted, jaw clenched. She turned to Tony. “Hey, Ton.”

Tony’s smile widened slightly as he held out his arms. “Come here, you,” Tony said, giving her a tight squeeze. “Thanks for coming, Sparks,”

Phoebe returned the smile, though it vanished the moment she felt Tony’s unwavering fear. “I just hope I can be of use,” she said, looking in Fury’s direction. Getting an accurate read on her boss was like finding a needle in a haystack. His emotions changed too quickly for her to pinpoint them, and his apathetic expression did not help. Phoebe frowned. “That bad, huh?”

“We better get you up to speed,” Fury said. His tone was firm and his eye blank as he gave Tony a quick glance before retreating to Maria Hill.

According to Tony, a God-like being was creating problems for everyone. Phoebe never got the chance to meet Thor, having been focused on trying to find and defrost Captain America. But now, Thor’s brother, Loki, was causing the chaos on Earth. He killed 80 people in two days, and now he is terrorizing people on the ship.

Phoebe was more concerned with her mission. “So, why can’t you all seem to get along?” she asked.

Tony shrugged and held the door open for Phoebe to enter the main hallway of the helicarrier. “It’s not that we don’t get along. We’re just… I don’t know, at odds? Maybe that’s the best way to describe it. You’ve got a demi-god with a severe God complex. A Doctor who meticulously calculates every move he makes so he doesn’t destroy the ship. No to mention your colleague, Ms. Romanov, who I still don’t trust, and a super soldier who still thinks he is the Captain after spending 70 years in an ice coma. And then there’s me-”

“ _Now_ we’re getting somewhere,” Phoebe interjected, pointing a knowing finger to him. “Let me guess. Your charming personality isn’t setting well with the others?”

“Mostly Rogers. He is driving me up the fucking wall with his… patriotism.”

Phoebe found Tony distain amusing. “He’s Captain America. Patriotism is part of the package.”

“Well, can you ship the package away from me?” Tony quipped.

“Like it or not, he is needed. Vintage is in right now,” Phoebe said. Her voice hitched just enough for Tony to notice.

“You like him, don’t you?”

“What?” She felt the flush creep up her neck and burn her ears. “Of course not. My relationship with Captain Rogers is strictly professional.”

Tony was dripping with sarcasm. “Right. And I’m Santa Clause.”

“Will you quit it? There is nothing going on with me and Steve, okay?” Phoebe prayed that Tony would drop it before she let it slip that she was finding herself more and more attracted to the World War II vet than she’d care to admit.

“You did hear the part where I said he’s really old, right?”

“Fine,” Phoebe conceded, “but you’re dating your assistant. Talk about a legality issue,” she defended, unintentionally loud.

“Ms. Reynolds,” Fury called out using his higher authority demeanor, “you’re supposed to be helping the situation, not making it worse,” he reminded her.

Phoebe sighed and gestured behind her. “If you take my bags, I’ll go find Capt and see what I can do.”

“Thank you, Pheebs,” Tony said, folding his hands in a prayer pose. “I have to get back to work, but we’ll catch up later.” Tony kissed her on the cheek and turned to leave, only to turn back around, feigning a serious glare. “Don’t go playing 7 minutes in the helicarrier, either.”

Fury cleared his throat from behind Phoebe. She pivoted back to look at him. “You sent me here to play mediator?” Phoebe inquired with a raised brow.

“I asked you to come to help get this team together.”

“You’ve got too many overpowering personalities.”

“Underpower them, then. Just get it done, Agent Ren.”

Phoebe waited until Fury was out of her range before she muttered, “Yes, sir.”

Phoebe found her way through the helicarrier with ease. She ran into Natasha, who barely waved as she strode passed her.

_Focus._

Phoebe gathered that Natasha had something on her mind that needed to be followed through. Phoebe walked passed the lab, flashing a smile at Tony and waving at Dr. Banner, who returned a hesitant wave back. Tony looked like he was explaining something to Dr. Banner, so Phoebe made her way to the end of hall before the overwhelming emotions hit her like a freight train at full speed.

_Confusion. Determination. Worry._

Phoebe followed Cap’s emotions, which lead her to a door that sported grip marks on the side, the wording on the door reading, secure storage10-C. She slipped through the small opening, careful not to tip him off.

_Anger. Betrayal. Frustration._

The emotions screamed through her neuropathways. She concentrated on the dark red boots in the corner above her. Twirling her hands, she let her energy pick her up and take her to the second floor without making a sound. She took a quick glance at the area around her, but the Captain was nowhere in sight. She deduced that he had most likely moved without her noticing.  

_Attentive. Focused. Alert._

The sudden change in emotion caught her off guard, echoing against her skull so loud she had to press her fingers to her temple to get them to settle. He knew she was here, looking for him.

“Agent Ren, what are you doing here?”

Cap’s voice was thick and low, and it rumbled against her spine due to his proximity. Phoebe shut her eyes, feeling his heat signature radiate from him and onto her back, sending another chill through her nerve endings. Their chests barely brushed against each other when Phoebe turned to face him, looking up at him with wide eyes, her lower lip caught between her teeth. He towered over her tiny frame, his muscular body swallowing her whole as he flashed a firm glare. His breath was hot against her cheeks, and she reveled in the vintage scent that was Steve. Cinnamon. He smelled like cinnamon, she decided.

“Taking inventory of 10-C?” Steve tossed another glare at her. “Alright, so maybe I was looking for you.”

Steve’s expression remained unchanged. “Why?”

Phoebe examined Steve’s body language. Biceps curled in tight contraction, pulling his shoulder and deltoids together. His neck muscles bulged outward, matching his retracted jaw and pursed lips. Eyes that were usually warm and welcoming were hard as stone.

_Distrust._

“Are you alright, Steve?” Phoebe asked with wary eyes.

Steve remained silent. He reached for her hand, pulling her to the open containers. Upon seeing what was inside, Phoebe gasped in horror. Her eyes locked with Steve’s.

“I swear I didn’t know-” Phoebe stopped mid-sentence, eyeing the _HYDRA_ symbol on the weapon. Phoebe felt her stomach bottom out. They were using HYDRA’s blueprints to make their own versions of their weapons.

The flashbacks hit out of nowhere. She was in shackles, being lead down a dark, cold tunnel where the only sounds she could hear was rats and dripping water. Phoebe shook her head, vaguely hearing Steve asking if she was okay.

“No…” Phoebe mumbled, taking a step back while rubbing her eyes. She swore she’d never let them come back, but now she was helpless to do anything. Strapped to a board, Phoebe screamed beyond human levels as they struck her with electricity over and over again until she couldn’t remember what year she was in.

_Dizzy._

Phoebe felt the dizziness crash against her like a wave, pounding against her head and crushing her chest, making it hard to breathe. She tore herself away from the weapons, backing up to the point she almost fell backwards off the bridge. She would have had it not been for Steve’s enhanced reflexes.

“Hey,” Steve’s calm, soft voice was a welcomed lullaby. “It’s alright. You’re alright.” Phoebe gave in to the exhaustion and collapsed into his arms, tears falling down her flushed cheeks uncontrollably. Steve frowned, feeling like an idiot for assuming Phoebe had any involvement in these weapons. “They can’t hurt you anymore. I won’t let them. You have my word.”

Steve lifted Phoebe up to stand, but her legs moved like jelly, completely unstable. Phoebe sobbed over the star on his uniform, leaving behind traces of black mascara. He didn’t care whether she messed up his suit. He felt useless, like there was nothing on Earth he could ever do to help her through her experience. “Let’s get you out of here.”

Steve scooped Phoebe into his arms and jumped down to the first floor with ease. As he walked out of the room with Phoebe in his arms and passed the evaluation room, he glanced down at her face. Her eyes were closed while she nuzzled against the star on his chest, concealing the freckles that covered her pinken cheeks. She was so beautiful, so fearless. So brave.

Steve was smitten.


	3. Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phoebe and Tony become at odds. Steve and Phoebe grow closer.

“What the hell did you do to her?” Steve turned to see Tony standing with his arms folded, eyes glaring directly at him.

Steve sat Phoebe down on a swivel chair and took a seat next to her. She collapsed on his chest, feeling exhausted. This was different, he thought, not that he was complaining. Steve had never had a woman sit this close near him, much less _on_ him. He tested the waters, wrapping an arm around her, unsure if he was doing the right thing. Phoebe let out a quiet hum, making Steve blush. Guess it was the right move after all.

Steve looked at Tony. “She had a moment.”

“Another episode?” Tony knelt in front of Phoebe, placing a hand on her thigh. “Pheebs, ya with me?”

“Yeah, I’m good” she said, her voice muffled by Cap’s uniform. “I was cozy,” she said with a smile as she lifted her head off Captain America. “And warm.”

Steve smirked and held her close enough that he could smell her sweet, coconut shampoo. The scent was invigorating. “She gets these a lot? Flashbacks?”

Tony let go of her hand. He looked deep in thought. “Has been for a few months. Usually it takes something to trigger it, though. Something pretty intense like a smell or a sound or-”

“A _HYDRA_ symbol?”

Tony heard the computer ding and went to check it. “Where did she see it?” he asked, multi-tasking.

Steve lifted his head to speak, but was interrupted by the Fury barging through the lab doors. He did not look like he wanted to chit chat. “What are you doing, Mr. Stark?” he demanded to know as he entered the lab.

“Kinda been wondering the same thing about you,” Tony replied, hoisting himself up on the empty space on the lab table.

Fury turned to see Cap and Phoebe snuggle against each other. “And what is this? It sure as hell ain’t the shore, kids. There is no smush room on this ship.”

“Smush room?” Steve repeated, and Phoebe laughed at Steve’s confusion. _Her laugh,_ Steve mused, smiling internally. He could listen to it on a record all day and never get tired of it.

“I’ll tell you later,” Phoebe said, reaching for his hand instinctively. She quickly releasized and was ready to pull her hand away but then she noticed Steve clasp his hand under hers before he pulled away. She smiled.

“He was helping her,” Tony said, sounding slightly disgusted.

Fury gave Tony a look. “ _You_ are supposed to be finding the tesseract.”

“We are,” Bruce chimed in. “The model’s locked and we’re sweeping for a signature now. When we get a hit, we’ll have the location within half a mile.” He pointed to the main screen in the corner near the entrance, Fury following his finger to see for himself.

“Then you can get your cube back. No muss, no fuss.” Tony paused. JARVIS finished hacking into the secure files, and the computer alerted Tony via his holographic phone. “What exactly is Phase Two?”

“Aside from building weapons using the Cube,” Steve interjected, reaching beside him and picking up the HYDRA weapon and slamming it on the middle table. Phoebe sat in the corner, watching the event unfold, still shaken from her minor setback in 10-C.

“We gathered everything involving the tesseract. That does not mean we’re making…”

“I’m sorry, Nick, why were you lying?” Tony turned the computer. An image of a missile popped up. One that looked an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon.

Seeing the similarity in the weapon on the table and the one on the screen made Cap’s blood boil, but he managed to keep it together. “I was wrong, Director,” Steve said, looking directly at Fury with dark eyes. The world hasn’t changed a bit,” Steve said with anger. He glanced at Phoebe. He needed to cool down and he found comfort in Phoebe. Whether it was because of their shared experience with the serum or because Phoebe helped him adjust to civilian life after he woke up, he wasn’t sure. But there something about this girl that made him curious.

Phoebe couldn’t tell Steve was staring at her, which he was grateful for. Natasha had just walked in with Thor and she needed to know if Natasha knew about this disaster of a secret. “Please tell me you didn’t know.” Natasha didn’t answer. “Tash,” Phoebe said with a grimace. “How could you go along with this?”

“Because she’s a spy. Hiding things is what she does best,” Bruce said bitterly.

Natasha narrowed her eyes at Bruce and stepped forward. “You might want to remove yourself from this environment, Doctor.”

“Oh I was in Calcutta. I was pretty well removed,” he answered sardonically.

“Loki is manipulating you.”

“And you’ve been doing what, exactly?”

Phoebe walked over to Tony, leaning in to whisper in his ear. “This is crazy. We need to get ourselves together to fight Loki,” she said.

“How can we fight when we can’t even trust each other?” Steve interjected quietly, overhearing their conversation. “Do you trust anyone in this room?”

“I trust you. And I trust Tony.”

“I trust you, too.”

“Then we can do this. We need to get Loki to talk before he severs us completely,” Phoebe said.

“How about we get a straight answer. Because I’d like to know why SHIELD building weapons of mass destruction?” Dr. Banner hollered, tapping at the computer screen.

“Because of him,” Fury pointed to Thor.

“Me?” Thor repeated, sounding shocked.

“Last year, Earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that leveled a small town,” Fury said. “We learned that not only are we alone, but we are hopelessly and hilariously outgunned.”

Thor flashed a look of confusion. What did he have to do with this pathetic human argument? “My people want nothing but peace with your planet.”

“But there are more than just your people out there, isn’t there?” Fury snapped. Thor was silent. “The world is filling up with people who can’t be matched.”

Their fighting continued, and Phoebe’s empathy started to get out of control.

“Stop it,” she mumbled, holding her head.

“Phoebe?” Tony looked to his friend. “You okay?”

“Just stop…” she mumbled just high enough to be audible.

“Captain America’s on a threat watch?” Banner asked, surprised.

“We all are,” Natasha replied.

“Oh, so you’re on the list, too?” Tony said to Steve, who rolled his eyes. “Are you above or below angry bees?”

Captain America was losing it. “So help me God, Stark, if you make one more wisecrack-”

“He’s threatening me. Fury, did ya hear that? I feel threatened,” Tony retorted, glaring at the Captain.

“Stop it,” Phoebe mumbled again, holding her head harder. She fell back into a corner.

_Anger. Denial. Confidence. Frustration. Rage. Worry. Fear. Discontent. Annoyance._

“Show some respect,” Steve ordered.

Tony rolled his eyes. A thumping sound caught his attention. “Uh, Sparks?”

“Something’s wrong,” Steve said, ready to walk over to her.

“Back off,” Tony slapped his hands away, halting the Captain still. “She’s my friend, not your girlfriend.”

“Jealous are we?” Steve responded with a raised brow.

“Make it stop,” Phoebe cried out.

“Make what stop?” Tony asked.

Phoebe clenched her fists. They were glowing purple. “So many emotions. I can’t… I can’t take it. The anger. It’s building. Everyone’s emotions are hitting me and it hurts.”

“Alright, everyone! Stop!” Steve called out to everyone. No one noticed his plea to stop.

“Well that went swimmingly,” Tony mocked, still holding Phoebe. “Good leading there, Captain.”

“That’s it,” Steve hissed, fire in his eyes directed at Tony. “You really know how to get on people’s nerves, you know that?”

“So I’ve been told,” Tony said.

“Big man in a suit of armor,” Steve said. “Take that off, what are you?”

“Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist,” Tony responded as if he had the answer ready ahead of time.

“I know guys with none of that worth ten of you,” Steve said. His comrades from the war. They were loyal. They dove into the fire without fear of getting burned. Steve thought about them for a second before turning his attention back to Stark. “I’ve seen the footage. The only person you fight for is yourself.”

Tony looked to Phoebe. “No. I fight for the people I care about.” He looked to Steve with hard eyes. “I’m sorry, Cap, but you didn’t make the cut.”

“You may not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero.”

“A hero? Like you? You’re a laboratory experiment, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle.”

“What?” Phoebe let go out of her head and looked at Tony.

Tony’s eyes widened, realizing what he said had a double meaning. “Oh, god. Pheebs, I didn’t mean-”

“She knows exactly what you meant, Stark,” Steve growled. “ _We_ know what you meant.”

Something on the computer dinged and Bruce checked it out. “Uh-oh.”

Phoebe looked down at her hands. The room was frozen. No one moved, no one breathed, just a group of people frozen in place, hands protecting themselves, mouth’s open as if to speak.

Then the explosion went off.


	4. Party Tricks

The explosion happened so fast, Phoebe didn’t see it coming. Before she knew it, she was in mid-air. _Crash!_ She hit her head hard against the ceiling before crashing down into an open area through the floor, caging her in and knocking her unconscious. Everyone unfroze by the force of impact by the explosion. Natasha and Banner were pushed down to the basement while Tony, Fury and Steve managed to stay on top.

“What happened?” Fury asked, getting up. Fury could hear his colleagues talking indistinctively through his earwig about the situation, but his ears rung from the impact, making it hard to hear.

“Phoebe is what happened,” Tony grumbled over the alarms.

“Go get the suit,” Steve ordered.

“Yep,” Tony groaned, scrambling to get up. “Where’s Phoebe?”

“I got her, just go!” Steve waved him off. He crawled to where she was standing, and saw her limp body in the tiny shaft below him. He slid down, narrowly missing her head and hoisted her on his back, ignoring the pain in his side. Using all the momentum he had, he jumped and the two of them crash on the floor just as the shaft below caved in and collapsed. “Phoebe, can you hear me?”

“Ouch. What happened?” Phoebe asked, holding her head.

“You didn’t do this?” Steve asked, an eyebrow raised.

Phoebe rolled her eyes. “Why do you keep thinking I have something to do with the shit that goes on here?”

Steve smiled. “Force of habit. It must have been what Bruce was worried about.” he said. He maneuvered over debris and rubble to the only working computer. It was flashing rapidly with a pinpointed location of their coordinates. “There’s a reading here.”

“We need to get the engine running,” Phoebe said before she yanked Steve into the hallway by his hood. “Where to, Cap?”

Tony’s voice popped up on Phoebe’s earwig. “Get to engine three.”

When Phoebe and Steve got to the hanger, Tony was already trying to make repairs. Steve explained the inside of the relays to Tony, and he thought of an idea. Phoebe levitated them both to the red lever where Tony had instructed them to wait so the blades would slow down enough for him to escape.

“So, we’re just supposed to wait?” Phoebe asked.

Steve couldn’t give an answer right away. He was busy following orders from Stark involving the engine. Phoebe looked around at the damage caused by the explosion. Clint Barton was a friend, someone who had assisted her on hundreds of missions. She prayed that no one was critically injured.

“Phoebe, make sure Loki doesn’t have anything planned,” Steve said while working on the panel.

“No, I’m not leaving.”

“That’s an order! Go!” Steve’s voice was unsteady. He wasn’t sure what he was doing, but he knew lives depended on him. If Captain America was anything, it was dependable.

Phoebe was used to being given orders. She turned to leave only to be blasted into mid-air by an energy gun used by one of Loki’s henchmen. She was lucky Cap was there because he managed to grab hold of her hand before she whisped out into the open sky. “Hey!” she shouted to them. One of the men tossed a grenade. “Oh, shit!”

She held up a force field, blocking both Steve and herself from the blast. Phoebe shot a hand out to them, emitting a bright purple energy. She blew up one of them while Steve kicked the other one into the blue sky. Another group of men came bursting through the door to the open area, firing bullets at random. Steve knocked Phoebe out of the way, pulling himself around a bendable metal slab for protection. He jumped down to the same level where the men stood, grabbing a gun. He flipped himself over the ladder and climbed back to the top level. He fired at the men.

“Get to Loki!” Steve shouted over the whirling winds.

Phoebe levitated above and over the men. She made a run for the room where Loki was being held, stopping only by the sounds of screams coming from the main control room.

Gunshots grew louder as she approached the hallway leading to the control room. She wanted to check it out, to make sure her colleagues were okay. She blew up both men firing at her people, but that didn’t stop what was going on inside the room. When she walked inside, a wave of overwhelming emotions hit her hard.

_Pain. Agony. Fear._

The room erupted into chaos. Agents on the floor, bloodied and unmoving, techs hiding under the desks. It was a disaster. Through the fog she could see Maria Hill hiding behind a computer. She said something about the Hulk.

 _Shit, he must be active_ , Phoebe thought grimly. She knelt down to help some of the uninjured when a voice called out to her. It was Fury, who had blood dripping from above his patched eye. “Sir, are you alright?”

Fury waved off her attention. “Do as Cap says. Get to Loki.”

Phoebe followed orders and left the room, praying that Tony could fix the situation quickly. She ran into Phil Coulson on the way to Loki’s room. He had exited one of their advanced weapons rooms holding a prototype weapon that not even Phoebe had clearance to use. “Agent Coulson, what are you doing with that prototype weapon?”

“Something dramatic,” he said with a smirk. Phoebe shook her head. Phil Coulson was one of the best agents SHIELD had. He was smart and clever, always thinking outside the box. And he would do anything for his colleagues, especially for Fury. Coulson saved his ass on more than one occasion. Phoebe followed him, taking out the guard at the entrance so he could enter unscathed. Loki was free and Thor was trapped in Hulk’s container.

“Loki, stand down,” Phoebe warned, pulling out her gun and pointing it at him.

“Ah, Agent Reynolds,” Loki hummed with a wicked grin. “The agent with access to unlimited source of power, but choses to use a gun instead.”

“You really wanna find out how much power I have?” Phoebe glared at him. She holstered her gun and let her hands glow freely.

Loki watched her hands as if he were hypnotized by them before looking back at her with his bright blue eyes. “I like you. Your confidence is charming,” Loki said. “But I don’t think your party tricks would work on me.”

Phoebe grit her teeth and fired an explosive blast that lit the air molecules, hurdling Loki against the wall. Coulson turned on the prototype. “Are you sure about that?”

Loki let out a guttural laugh and teleported to the button panel.

“Move away, please,” Phil said. “I don’t know what this does, but I wouldn’t mind testing it out on you.”

Phoebe felt a tingle in her stomach. Something wasn’t right. Loki didn’t move from the button panel, only smiling like a Cheshire cat. Coulson cried out and Phoebe pivoted to find Loki’s sceptor sliced through Coulson’s heart. The Loki Phoebe attacked was a clone. “NO!” Phoebe held out her hands.

The guard that Phoebe knocked out was conscious and heading straight for her when her powers caused him to freeze mid-run. Even Loki’s movements slowed substantially. Coulson froze from the ground. Loki fought through the freeze and hit the button, sending Thor plunging down the sky at maximum force. Loki wacked her hard in the head, sending her thrashing against the railing. Blood pooled where a tooth used to be. as she wiped the dripping contents from her mouth. She stood up, hands balled into fists, eyes flaring.

“Your powers are stong, Misgardian,” Loki muttered. “But not strong enough.”

Phoebe had an idea. She released her grip and twirled her fingers lightly, just subtle enough that Loki wouldn’t notice. “Maybe not. But Coulson is.”

“What?” Loki turned to look at Phil. He was hit with a yellow energy blast that sent him flying through a metal wall.

“So that’s what it does,” Phil choked, a hint of a smile showing through his blood-stained lips.

“You’re gonna be okay,” Phoebe said, kneeling down in front of him. She focused her energy on the wound and pulled upwards, attempting to mend the molecules back together. But no matter how hard she pulled, she was met with a force field around the wound that was the same color as the sceptor’s. “My powers aren’t working on the wound.”

“It’s okay, Phoebe,” Phil coughed.

“No. I can freeze you until medical gets here.” Phoebe flicked her hands. Little sputters of energy came out, slowing his movements but not completely freezing him. She tried again, the same result. “Damn it!” Frustrated, Phoebe slammed her hands on the floor in defeat. Freezing was the toughest power to control for her. It acted on instinct. Mostly fear. But now all she felt was rage.

“Agent, stand down.”

Phoebe looked behind her before turning back to Coulson. “He’s dying.”

“He is,” Fury agreed. He knelt on the other side of Coulson and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Medical is on its way.”

Phil wasn’t going to make it if medical took their time like they normally do. For a special op government team, SHIELD had shitty medical. Phil’s wound had soaked his shirt and tie. His skin was pale and clammy. His eyes dark and lazy in reactivity.

_Pain. Conviction. Courage._

Phil was being strong, despite know it was the end of the line. “It’s alright, boss. This was never gonna work if they didn’t have something…”

_Death._

Phil Coulson never finished.


	5. Rhythm

For once, Phoebe couldn’t explain what she was feeling. Was it guilt? Could it be anger? Maybe she felt nothing at all; she had no idea. Tears pricked her eyes, burning across her iris and cascading down her cheek before landing on Coulson’s body.

His dead body.

Medical came through and Fury tugged at Phoebe to get her move so they could work on him. Or rather, take his corpse to evac. She watched as the doctors pounded mercilessly on his chest, switching between manual and automated compressions. Coulson’s body flailed like a fish out of water with every crack to his ribs, forcing tear after tear from Phoebe’s tear ducts until she couldn’t see. Phoebe had to turn away, which happened to be the same time as the medics telling Fury there was nothing more they could do. Coulson was pronounced dead and Phoebe lost any composure she was holding on to.

Anger fueled her core, sparking her power. Purple energy electrocuted her eyes, pumped through the veins in her neck, crossing to her arms until the energy glowed through her hands at a constant rate of pain and anguish. Fury’s voice barely registered as background noise as Phoebe exited the room. The unstable power emitting from her palms caused the door to blow up on her way out. Agents walking down the hallway maneuvered around Phoebe, their faces clearly showing fear and uncertainty. But Phoebe could have cared less what they thought of her at that particular moment. She was numb to everyone around her, mentally bypassing every emotion that flowed through her body. She wasn’t even sure where she walking to until she saw it. The lab where it all started.

Explosions went off again, but this time it was Phoebe. She set off explosions at random lab equipment, letting out a screeching cry with every flick of her wrist. Tears continually fell down her face as she remembered feeling Coulson’s pain as he died. He felt his death, and so did she. She felt Coulson’s life force fade into the abyss and there was nothing she could do. What was the point of having powers if all she could do was feel the death of her friends? Phoebe let out a string of curse words as she collapsed to the ground. An electric energy release under her knees as she hit the cracked, pebbled tile, surging a blast that took the remaining windows.

“Phoebe.”

Steve’s voice was hard to ignore. She looked behind her. He was leaned against the archway, shield in one hand and the other extended out to her. Phoebe still felt the heaviness of her powers exploding every fiber of her body when she looked at him. She noticed his breathing hitched, probably overwhelmed by the purple flare that had replaced her usual sea green hue. The last thing she wanted was for Captain America to be afraid of her. She turned back to the destruction lying beneath her wake.

“It’s not your fault,” Steve said.

Phoebe laughed. Not a soft chuckle, but a boisterous, shameless laugh that sent a shiver down the Cap’s spine. “Yeah, and you’re not carbon dated to the early 1900s.”

Steve knelt in front of her, setting his shield to the side. “This isn’t on you, Phoebe. This is Loki doing exactly what he had planned all along.”

“Maybe if I had control of my powers, Phil would still be alive and Loki wouldn’t be running around with his stick of mischief doing God only knows what.”

“Phil’s death won’t be in vain. I promise you that.”

“It won’t be,” Phoebe agreed. “Because I’m going to kill Loki.”

“We’ll stop him,” Steve corrected. Killing was something he wasn’t fond of doing unless it was necessary. But the more he thought about it, the more killing Loki sounded like a better idea. Although Thor may not be hep to that particular plan. “We’ll do it together.”

“No, _you_ won’t.” Steve looked at Phoebe, confused. “None of you are. Don’t you get it? Coulson died because none of you could get your heads out of your ass long enough to work together. Y’all were too busy fighting over whether suits of armor makes a person a hero to give a shit about the real problem. Loki is free and has his scepter because this _team_ isn’t a team. Banner was right. It’s chaos. Fury lost his fucking mind if he thought I could bring you guys together.”

Steve narrowed his eyes. He grew tired of the pity argument. “You do realize you’re just a part of this team as the rest of us, right? Why else would Fury have called you in? He didn’t just want you to get the team together. He wanted you _on_ it, too.”

“Your information is askew, Captain,” Phoebe snapped. “I wasn’t recruited to fight. I was ordered to be here to make sure shit like this didn’t happen. I failed. I doubt you’d want a failure on your team.”

Steve felt his jaw clench. There she went again calling him Captain. It shouldn’t have shaken him as hard as it did, but enough said. “You have more power than you realize, Phoebe. Obviously something must be ticking you off since you look like a walking lava lamp right now. You can use it for good or not at all. But you better decide.” Steve was close enough that Phoebe could feel his breath hot against her cheek, and it was driving her mad. “Are you with the team or not?”

Phoebe titled her head, her lips parting gently as she asked, “Do you even know what team he’s talking about?" Her voice was hard, unchanging. Her hands glowed brighter, more vibrant, and Steve took a step back.

He hadn’t thought about why he was here so much as how he could help stop this Loki character. “You seem like you may wanna relax just a little bit.”

“I can’t, Steve. I can feel it coursing through my body. Every heartbeat is another second that my power is growing and I can’t turn it off right now. I’m so furious I could scream and probably blow up this entire ship.”

Steve stopped breathing. Phoebe felt his fear hit her mind like a punch to the head. Steve released a soft breath, looking as if he wanted to say or do something but wasn’t quite sure how. Her power overload made him nervous. He kept a fairly decent distance between them and was very akin to his surroundings.

“How can I help?”

Phoebe felt her eyes watering again. God, it was like being on her period, only twice as bad. “I’m not sure. I just need to focus, feel something other than pissed off.”

“Close your eyes,” Steve ordered in a soft voice that made Phoebe’s stomach flip flop. She had no idea what he was up to, but she needed to calm down before she threatened the safety of the ship… more so. So she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, focusing her mind on something other than anger, even if it was for a second. That’s all she needed. One second to distract her.

She went to open her eyes, but closed them again when she felt chapped, cool lips press tenderly against hers. Steve was kissing her.

Phoebe stayed perfectly still, afraid even the slightest movement may cause harm to him. Steve felt her still under him. Conflict set in. Should he pull away? He hadn’t kissed anyone since World War II, and even then, it was about as quick as it started. It was a sweet, soft goodbye kiss. Steve was being just as gentle with Phoebe as he was with Peggy, but things changed when he finally felt Phoebe move her lips with the kiss, creating a rhythmic dance between their lips. What was once a tender exchange became fueled by unadulterated passion as Phoebe slipped her tongue into Steve’s mouth and vice-versa. It was the kind of kiss that left you breathless and wanting more even when you think you can’t get any closer to each other. Steve felt Phoebe’s purple energy zap his neck, but he found the tingling sensation pleasurable, and even moaned his protest when he felt her power calm to a stop. Feeling brave and confident, Steve wrapped his arms around Phoebe’s waist, pulling her closer to him. Maybe it was Phoebe’s empathy syncing their emotions together, but they moved in sync with each other like two dancers moving across the ballroom. Phoebe scooted until she was sitting on Steve’s lap, wrapping her arms and legs around him, deepening the kiss.

Steve gently pulled back so that his lips were ghosting over hers, taking in the moment. He tilted his head, studying Phoebe’s eyes. They were no longer glowing purple, but a safe and beautiful sea green, down to the tiny crystallized specs of hazel that warmed his soul every time he looked at her. They stayed in the lotus position for a while, neither one wishing to break the bond that circled around them. But being a natural leader, Steve eventually gave in and they stood up.

“You brought me back,” Phoebe said with a warm smile that lit up what was left of the room.

“I’ll always bring you back,” Steve replied, feeling the flush of his skin tickle his cheeks.

_Affection. Attraction. Adoration._

Phoebe could have melted right then and there when she felt Steve’s emotion consume her heart. “You are a hero. You know that, right?” she asked.

Steve smiled. “I do now.”

Fury’s voice cued on both of their earwigs. _“Meeting in the conference room. Now.”_


	6. Game

Phoebe grimaced. Fury had shit timing. “Duty calls,” she said unenthusiastically. “I guess we should- we should go, I guess.”

“Uh, right,” Steve agreed after a moment. He had a hand placed behind the nape of his neck, tugging at his hood. _What he was he- oh_. The zipper to his shirt. He pulled the material over his head, revealing a thin, bright blue fitted long sleeve shirt. Phoebe’s mouth went dry when she saw the fitted material wrap around his bulging biceps. His hair was a tad ruffled, but still cute as hell. “Ready?” he asked while he shook his head to fix his hair.

Phoebe was stuck in a haze, fixated on all that was Steve Rogers. How could a man be so hot and _not_ realize it? As if he had no idea that just by standing leaned back on one leg, arms crossed in a relax crisscross, he was driving Phoebe’s senses wild. The ironic thing was that Steve did, in fact, have no clue what he was doing. He only recently understood what the term “hella” and “selfie” meant, so anything remotely related to the current dating trends would be out of his realm.

“Phoebe?” Steve’s voice interrupted her thought.

“Right! Yeah, let’s go.” Phoebe felt the blush creep up her neck and into her cheeks, setting fire to her face. God she hoped he didn’t notice. The duo walked through hallway together, exchanging glances when the other wasn’t looking. Phoebe felt something pool at her belly, but she couldn’t tell if it was her emotions or Steve’s. It was a warm emotion that cushioned every nerve ending in her body, providing an everlasting light within her core. She looked up at Steve, who had met her eyes at the exact moment she looked up. Phoebe felt her empathy reaching for Steve, ready and willing to latch onto his aura.  

***

“Thanks for joining us,” Fury said loudly, cutting off Phoebe’s empathy by startling her.

Tony gave Phoebe a weird _‘where have you been’_ look, but she shrugged, her expression somber. Tony then looked at Steve, who seemed out of sorts… more than normal. Phoebe followed his gaze until she landed on Steve’s face. His lips were still swollen from their make out session and his cheeks still showed a gentle pink hue that was not a normal flush. Whoops.

 _Oh, she didn’t_ , Tony thought with a sickening eye roll. _I’m gonna be sick._

“I found these in Phil Coulson’s jacket.” Fury tossed a bloodied set of Captain America trading cards on the glass table directed at Steve. “I guess he never did get you to sign them.”

Steve glanced at the cards, solemn and guilt washing over his face. He was only half listening to the story of how Phil managed to get these trading cards in the first place. He picked up one of the cards. It was old. From World War II when he was going across the country selling bonds. Before he became a national hero, whatever that meant now.

“We’re dead in the air up here. Our communication system, the location of the Cube. Banner. Thor. I got nothing.” Fury looked to Phoebe, and she noticed a change in his demeanor and emotional aura. It was softer, almost pained. “Lost my one good eye. I guess I’m lucky I didn’t lose one of my best arms, too.”

Phoebe felt a smile tug at her lips. Fury always said she was one of his best arms because of her gifts. He cared for Phoebe. He was there during the toughest parts of her life. Dealing with her powers, having to stay hidden from society for her own safety, her father’s death. Fury was like a second father to Phoebe, which is why it hurt so much that he was going behind her back with these weapon contracts.  

“Yes, we were building weapons using the Cube,” Fury finally admitted “But I was playing my cards on something a lot bigger than that. Stark knows what I’m talking about.” Tony looked between Fury and Phoebe, pursing his lips. Phoebe knew what he was talking about, too, having been the other agent in charge of bringing Tony in on the project.

[ _flashback_ ]

“’I am Iron Man’,” Fury repeated back to the billionaire. “You think you’re the only superhero in the world? Mr. Stark, you’ve become part of a bigger universe. You just don’t know it yet.”

“Who the hell are you?” Tony asked, stepping closer to the laboratory door.

“Nick Fury, director of _S.H.I.E.L.D_.”

“Uh-huh.” Tony recognized the company name. It’s the company his father founded, though he didn’t really care to learn more about it, so he didn’t. Howard had instructed Tony to take Phoebe there if anything should happen to him. “So what exactly does _S.H.I.E.L.D._ want with a billionaire playboy philanthropist like me?”

“I’m here to talk to you about the Avengers initiative.”

Phoebe was not prepared for that to come out of his mouth. The Avengers Initiative was a myth. Don’t ask. Don’t tell. The project hasn’t gone beyond the paperwork phase, unless Fury was keeping information from his agents.

“Well, my office hours are,” Tony glanced at his watch, “not at 9:00 at night. But I’m sure if you leave a message with Ms. Potts, we can sit down, have a couple shots, have a few strippers come in – it’ll be great.”

“Mr. Stark,” Fury said, deadpan. “I am not here to get comfy and share laughs over a few drinks. I am here to let you know that _S.H.I.E.L.D._ is interested in you and your suit.”

Tony chuckled. “Like I said, my office is closed for the night.” Even if the idea sounded cool, Tony was never one to immediately say yes to something. He walked up to Phoebe and gave her a soft, long hug, placing a small kiss on her forehead. He waved at Fury. “My people will be in touch with your people. It was great seeing you, Sparks.”

“Bye, Tony,” Phoebe said, her voice dipping into a sweet hum as he walked upstairs, throwing a peace sign.

When they boarded the jet, she reached into her pocket and sent Tony a text.  ** _Sorry about your security panel. It’ll unfreeze in a few hours_.**

Tony replied quickly.  ** _I wondered why JARVIS wouldn’t turn off my lights. Thanks a lot, Sparks…_**

“Do you think he’ll consider Phase One?” Fury asked.

Phoebe put her phone away and considered Fury’s question. “I think he would join if he had something to gain from the project. A motivator.”

“Such as?”

“Let me join the Avengers Initiative, sir.”

Fury didn’t need to consider her request. “Sorry, I can’t do that.”

“They don’t know who I am.”

“And it’s going to stay that way. You are not joining Phase One. That’s an order, Agent.”

[ _End flashback_ ]

Fury paced around the surviving team, hands behind his back. “There was an idea called the Avengers Initiative. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people who could do some good and fight the battles we never could. Phil Coulson died believing in the idea. In heroes.”

Tony’s chair swiveled backwards abruptly as he stormed out.

“It’s an old-fashioned notion.”  


****

Steve sighed and placed the trading cards in a neat pile at the center of the table. An old-fashioned notion, it was. Believing in such a thing…

Heroes.

Steve glanced over to Phoebe, remembering that she clearly expressed the same belief. Was everyone in this era stuck on the idea that Captain America was anything more than just a veteran with a vibranium shield and dumb luck? Or that Iron Man was anything more than an armored suit that gave Tony Stark a second chance at life? Steve hadn’t considered himself a hero in the slightest.

Just a kid from Brooklyn who laid down his life for his country 70 years ago.

 _Alright, so maybe I am a hero, but not in the context Fury is talking about_ , Steve thought.

Phoebe met his eyes with her own. A single tear formed under her somber eyes, spilling out onto her cheek. Steve wanted to comfort her. Wrap his arms around her and tell her everything would be okay. But he couldn’t be sure of that. Loki is out gallivanting on their planet with a scepter capable of mind control. Barton was currently unconscious and strapped to a board, waiting to see if Natasha’s hit to head was effective at breaking Loki’s manipulation. Banner was off destroying buildings and Thor literally _fell_ out of sky.

As Peggy Carter would say, everything has gone tits up.

“We should get a plan together,” Phoebe mumbled from under her hand, which rested on her chin. “Find a way to separate Loki from his scepter.”

“Don’t we need to get the team together before we do that?” Steve asked.

“What is this, ‘we’ business?” Phoebe snapped. “I’m just the freak with no control.”

Steve didn’t believe that for a second. There was something special about Phoebe. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but she had a unique quality to her that was too intriguing not to notice. “Don’t you get it? You _are_ part of this team,” Steve said.

“I’m just a _S.H.I.E.L.D._ agent with a cool party trick. I’m nothing special.” Phoebe pointed to his chest, her nail a mere inch away from the polyester material of his shirt. “You, however? You are the heart of this team, Cap.”

“The only reason I’m here is because I volunteered for an experiment that could’ve killed me. The same experiment you volunteered for. We have the power to help people just like Fury said,” Steve said. As he listened to himself, he was beginning to understand what Fury was saying all along. “You have the power, Phoebe. I think it’s time you started using it.”

Phoebe rolled her eyes. Tony was right. Steve’s patriotism was a pain in the ass. But the man had a point.

Phoebe’s empathy kicked in and she felt Steve’s confidence reach out and touch her heart. The feeling was beyond the simple notion of feeling other’s emotions. Phoebe was _physically_ feeling his confidence affect her body. She looked up at him through the haze of her power acting on her mind and made out a faint smile.

Steve knew exactly what he was doing. He was giving her his confidence.

Phoebe touched her earwig, switching the channel to one that she and Natasha used. “Nat, what’s the status on Barton?”

Natasha came through the comm almost immediately. _“Cognitive recalibration was successful. He’s still reeling in everything that’s happened. We gotta give it some time.”_

“Glad to hear Barton’s on our side again. Steve and I are working together to get this team up and running.”

_“Banner and Thor are still missing. Any thoughts?”_

“Not yet. I’ll keep you posted.”

“I’ll talk to Stark,” Steve offered, heading towards the door. Phoebe couldn’t risk her plan going up in flames, so she placed a tiny purple force field around the control panel, stopping him. Steve turned with a smirk on his face. “Am I not talking to Stark, then, ma’am?”

“Nothing personal, Cap, but he and I have history,” Phoebe said with a shrug.

Steve nodded. He knew bits and pieces of their history from what Phoebe had told him during their time together before this assignment when she helped them adjust to the modern world. It was during those three short weeks that Steve realized he liked her. He looked forward to seeing her in their little hallway leading to both of their apartment doors every day, no matter what time. He didn’t care if she waking up and picking up her mail downstairs or sweaty, coming back from a run. He just wanted to be in her life. However he may fit, he was game. When she told him about being best friends with Tony Stark, it hit him hard at first. How could he compare to the Starks? He was strong, sure, but he didn’t have the suave, sultry skill set that Tony seemed to inherit from his father.  Reading online about Stark and his womanizing ways put Steve’s thoughts on asking Phoebe out to dinner to a semi-permanent halt.

Until now. Things were different. For one, Phoebe explained she had zero interest in Stark, even though he expressed his interest at one point. And two, they shared one _hell_ of a kiss.

Maybe Steve had game after all.


	7. Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers learn what it means to be a team. Phoebe finds herself in an unsettling predicament.

Phoebe found Tony where she assumed he’d be. In the area where Loki was being held, right next to the blood stained walkway where Agent Coulson died. He had his head hung over the railing, staring blankly at the wall.

“Tony, are you alright?” Phoebe asked, though she knew he wasn’t.

“Yeah,” Tony answered numbly. “I’m great. Just kicking back,” he added using a sarcastic voice he had perfected to a tee.

“Phil was a good man,” Phoebe said as she remembered some good times with her colleague. There many times he saved her ass on missions and recons. “He wasn’t afraid of much. He died fighting, just like he would’ve wanted.”

“He was an idiot,” Tony shot back, looking at her with anger. “He should have waited for backup.”

She’d seen Tony angry. Hell, she’s caused his anger at some points. But there was an emotion that was unfamiliar. She opened her mind, reaching out to touch his aura.

_Guilt._

“It’s not your fault, Tony. I was there,” Phoebe said, trying to reason with him. “There was no waiting. We had no idea what Loki was capable of-”

“That is _exactly_ my point,” Tony interjected. “He was out of his league.”

“We all are,” Phoebe reminded him. Thor was the first out of the ordinary occurrence Earth witnessed. But not even Thor had as many powers as his brother. When Thor said he was adopted, it made sense. Wherever Loki is from, it has made him one of the most powerful beings _S.H.I.E.L.D._ has ever faced. That the world has faced.

“She’s right, Tony,” Steve said, emerging from the corner with his arms folded casually. “We are in new territory here. Sometimes there isn’t a way out but to fight.”

Phoebe felt Tony’s anger intensify to the point she had to shut herself out from the conversation to gather herself. “Right. I’ve heard that before,” Tony snapped. And he looked like he was done hearing it. He strode passed Phoebe and Steve, ready to leave the room.

“Is this the first time you’ve lost a soldier?” Steve asked.

Tony spun around and yelled, “We’re not soldiers!” Phoebe winced. God he was pissed off at Steve. “I’m not marching to Fury’s fife.”

“Neither am I. He’s got the same blood on his hands that Loki does.”

“Tony,” Phoebe was practically begging her friend to put his ego to the side, “this isn’t the end. Phil won’t be the only casualty.” There was silence looming in the air, thick enough to cut off their oxygen supply. “He told us that he wanted to die so that you-” She stopped herself, looking at Steve. He nodded towards her and she looked back at Tony with a half-smile. “So that _we_ can work together and kick Loki’s ass back to Asgard.”

Tony let out a low chuckle, his face neutral. “So you’re with us, now?”

“I got nothing else better to do,” Phoebe said with a shrug. Steve and Tony looked up at each other. “Come on, boys. Let’s show him who is the biggest, bestest of them all.”

Steve chuckled. _Attraction. Beauty._

Phoebe swallowed, containing herself. “I felt that,” she mumbled to Steve.

“I know,” he countered with a smile. “So, Loki needs a power source. Maybe we can get together a list-” Steve mused.

Tony stilled in the hallway abruptly, causing Phoebe and Steve to turn around.

“What is it, Tony?” Phoebe asked.

“He made it personal,” Tony said, his eyes wide and mouth agape.

“That’s not the point,” Steve reminded him. “Finding the right power source is.”

“Right. He hit us right where we live. Why?”

Phoebe folded her arms. Maybe Tony was getting somewhere. “To tear us apart until we’re not a threat to him.”

“Dividing and conquering is great, but… he wants to beat us. He wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience.” Phoebe could practically see the gears moving in Tony’s brain as he power walked to the conference room. They followed right behind him, listening to his little comments to himself along the way.

“He did put on a pretty big act in Stuttgart,” Steve offered up.

“That’s just the previews. This is opening night. Loki’s a full-tilt diva. He wants the flowers, he wants parades, he wants his name plastered…” Tony went uncharacteristically silent for a moment. At the same time, Phoebe and Steve glanced at each other, a smile forming on both of their lips as they caught on.

“Son of a bitch.”

 “We have to get there before Loki,” Phoebe said as they ran out the room. “You guys get changed. I’ll get Nat and Barton.”

***

Natasha waited for Baton in the bathroom. She was glad that she could get her friend back, but the threat of Loki still loomed over the horizon. What were they going to do? They were great spies, sure, but they didn’t have abilities like Phoebe, or an armored suit like Tony. They sure as hell wanted to fight Loki, but it’s not like the team would ask. Natasha looked up when she heard the click of a security card access the door.

She was relieved to see Phoebe. They hadn’t spoken since the episode in the lab, and it was wearing on Nat’s psyche. “Look, Phoebe… about Phase Two,” Natasha started, but Phoebe held up a glowing hand that faded as she brought it down.

“It’s alright, Tash. We’ve got bigger fish to fry.”

Natasha furrowed her brows, understanding. “Where to?”

“We’re going Loki-hunting.”

A smile tugged at Natasha’s lips. _Yes!_ Natasha thought. “You’ve come a long way, baby,” she joked. “Wanna clue me in?” Natasha was no fool. She saw the way Phoebe and the Captain have been flirting. Not to mention the security footage in the lab was undamaged.

Phoebe blushed. “Later.” Barton came out of the lavatory. Natasha noticed the color in his cheeks returning, and he his eyes were a normal human blue – not the ice, mystic blue of the scepter. “You look much better,” she said, sounding just as relieved as Natasha.

“I feel better,” Barton emphasized with a grin. “I’m ready to go if you need a pilot,” he added. He looked serious, like he was out for blood.

“Suit up.”

***

Loki had already set out to destroy New York. He was succeeding. Iron Man set out to destroy the Chitauri army that fell through the portal in the sky. Loki struck the jet with a blue energy blast. The quinjet crash landed in a nearby park, but Phoebe was able to place a force field around it to absorb a majority of the blast. Captain America gave the signal and they headed for Stark Tower.

“Phoebe, your powers work by altering molecules, right?” Cap asked, looking up at the sky. The portal was huge, looming over the city from Stark Tower. Chitauri were toppling over the portal and onto Iron Man, who was seen barely making a dent in destroying the massive groups the Chitauri ran in.

“In theory,” Phoebe said. “Why?”

“Maybe you can contain the portal and stop the energy from igniting into the sky. If the power gets entrapped it could cancel out.”

“No!” Tony yelled over the comms, startling Cap and Phoebe. “If she does that, the portal could bounce back and incinerate her. Worse, it could toss in her into the Chitauri’s dimension. It’s too dangerous."

Phoebe gulped. Dying and getting trapped in another dimension both sounded terrible, but what choice did she have?

“Then we need a new plan,” Steve said.

“The portal is self-sustaining. It has its own force field barrier protecting it,” Tony explained with a groan. Phoebe looked up and saw Iron Man fire minimissiles from his shoulder only to get hit hard in the back, hurdling him several feet downward until he got control of his flight patterns again.

“Since you’re so full of ideas, what do you suggest, Stark?” Steve snapped from the ground.

“Boys…” Natasha warned, trailing off.

There was no way Phoebe could live with herself if she didn’t try everything in her power to stop Loki and the Chitauri.

“At least I’m not willing to toss my girlfriend into the lion’s den!” Tony snapped back with just as much anger in his voice as Steve.

 _If it gives me the opportunity to make a difference for my country, then I can’t think of a more honorable way to die_ , Phoebe remembered thinking just before she went under.

“Damn it, Stark! She’s not my-”

“I’ll do it.”

The comms went silent. Steve turned to Phoebe, looking at her like he wanted to change his mind, but Phoebe wouldn’t let him.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

_Worry._

Phoebe felt his emotions penetrate her aura, but she managed to keep them at bay so they wouldn’t interact with her other powers. “I’m an Avenger,” she said with glee. “Time to start acting like one, right?”

She saw the smile curve on Steve’s lips, and she flicked her wrists, igniting her purple energy like a zipp lighter.

“Sparks, no,” Tony pleaded. From the sky, he was descending further towards the ground. Phoebe realized he was coming down to try to stop her.

“It’s alright, Tony. I always wanted to do something that mattered,” Phoebe said.

Now she could. She gave Steve a kiss on the cheek and jumped into the air, firing her purple energy to levitate her in the air just as Iron Man landed on the ground to grab her. Ignoring the slew of curse words that escaped from Tony’s lips, Phoebe glided through the New York skyline. She looked down at the destruction before her, then looking forward as Loki stood on the Tower platform. All of this over a jealousy match with his brother. To be King. It was disgusting.

“You don’t have anything to prove,” Tony said into his comm, sounding desperate to keep her safe.

Phoebe listened to her comm but didn’t respond. She tried to drown out the screams of bystanders being lead away from the hot-zone by police. The pain of their cries was threatening to break her concentration. She clenched her jaw, keeping herself focused on the task.

 _Get to the roof. Just get… to… the roof._ Oomph! Phoebe’s power wavered to a stop. She fell ten feet in the air, landing just next to the control panel. In addition to her own aches and pains from the fall, something else hit her, too.

_Pain. Anguish. Horror. Fear. Death._

People were dying left and right. She could feel their pain and suffering, and it was killing her. Phoebe stood up halfway before falling back down, clutching at her heart. It felt like an elephant was sitting on her chest and every breath was a struggle. She sat up and tried to gather her powers, but her hands refused to glow. Another painful attack hit her core and she collapsed backwards.

“You guys have to work together and save the bystanders,” Phoebe commed to everyone as she stared up at the portal. She stifled back tears due to the intensity of emotions coursing through her veins. “Please help them,” she pleaded through sobs. “I can feel their pain. My powers won't work until you save them. They need us. They need the Avengers.”

Barton spoke first. “How do we do this?”

Phoebe could hear the honor and humility in Steve’s voice. “Together,” he said. “Avengers Asse-”

 _Grrrrrrraaaaaaagggggghhh!_ Phoebe looked up at the portal just as a long, ugly looking creature floated out of it.

Well, shit.


	8. Purple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers end up fighting one of their own when Loki's scepter gets in the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am hoping on wrapping this story up by Chapter 9 or 10 (: Stay tuned for a prequel on how Steve and Phoebe met through S.H.I.E.L.D.! Coming soon!

 The ugly bastard released cords from its underbelly. More Chitahuri jumped out, embedding their feet into buildings and firing off explosive energy blasts at random. Steve was in utter shock. _Does this mean I owe another $10 to Fury?_ He wondered.

“Stark, are you seeing this?” Steve asked, his voice in awe of what his eyes were looking at.

“Seeing. Still working on believing,” Tony said. He sounded like he was in disbelief, too. “Where’s Banner? Has he shown up yet?”

“Banner?” Steve questioned. Banner’s been off the grid since the incident with Loki and the lab, and to be honest, Steve almost forgot he was part of the team with everything currently unfolding. Steve wished he was here because the Hulk could rip through this sea monster-looking thing.

Tony sighed. “Just keep me posted.”

Steve, Black Widow, and Hawkeye trapped themselves behind a taxi while figured out their next move. Behind them, the Chitauri fired off blasts that rumbled the city, destroying cars and light posts in their wake. One of them saw Cap’s shield from the outskirts of the taxi, and they headed straight for them.

“There’s civilians trapped up here,” Hawkeye said, motioning to a bus full of people screaming.

“They’re tearing the roads apart,” Steve noticed as he overlooked the city bypass at the dozens of people still stranded. “They’re fish in a barrel down there.”

“Go. We can handle it up here,” Black Widow said.

“You’re sure?”

“Captain, it would be my genuine pleasure,” Hawkeye said, and he switched arrows settings. He shot an arrow into the air that divide into multiple arrows, each hitting three Chitauri between the eyes, killing them.

Steve jumped over the bridge, landing on a bus and flipping off of it just as an explosion went off from one of the Chitauri’s above him. He rolled down to the road using his shield and landed into a running position. He used his enhanced speed to run through the city, swerving his legs to the side to avoid getting shot with blue electric waves. He ran up a flipped taxi and leaped into the air, tearing apart one of the flying Chitauri with his shield and landing on top of another car right in front of the NYPD. He made it to the policemen and gave them a specific evacuation plan that he knew would work.

Thank God for his enhanced intelligence.

 “Why the hell should we take orders from you?” A policeman asked, sounding suspicious.

Chitauri energy missed Steve by a few feet in the background. Steve made quick work of taking out the Chitauri, going as far as chopping off it’s energy blaster with his shield.

“Use this to fight them.” Steve tossed the weapon on the ground in front of the policemen.

The long-footed creature roared loudly behind Steve. He ran up the city block to see where it was. Tony fired mini flares at its center, then flew under it and had it chasing him through the city. “Well, we got its attention. What the hell was step two?” Tony asked as he dodged flying debris.

                                                   ***  
          Phoebe felt energy flow through her hands once again. She smiled. They were doing it. Working as a team!

 _“Mission accomplished, agent,”_ she heard Fury say in her earwig. _“Or should I say Avenger.”_

“Sir? How did you- nevermind,” she stopped herself. There was no need to ask Fury useless questions.

Phoebe spotted Captain America saving a family in a car, Hawkeye helping people out of a bus, and Black Widow taking out Chitauri nearby with her gun blasters that all agents carry on them, even Phoebe. Finally, she felt some normalcy return in her heart, the pain of others being lifted with the help of the Avengers. She got up, overhearing Thor cursing at his brother.

Thor had been stabbed.

“Thor!” Phoebe jumped down to the platform, hovering just above the ground to avoid heavy impact, and punched Loki in the chest, using an energy blast to boost her punch’s power. Loki went flying backwards. “Are you alright?”

Thor retracted the blade from his abdomen. “That was not pleasant.”

Phoebe hovered a hand over his wound and pulled back. The wound crossed with her energy, the molecules of his body mending themselves back together. Thor grit his teeth. Phoebe knew what he was feeling from personal experience. The molecules regenerating did not tickle in the slightest.

“Thank you, Lady Phoebe. Your molecular abilities are astounding,” Thor said with a smile.

“I wonder how astounding they’ll be on the fight against evil,” Loki said from behind.

Phoebe felt like she was suddenly living in slow motion. Loki extended the scepter towards her chest, the stone glowing bright blue as it activated. She formed a force field around her chest, and the scepter touched it, causing an electric _zap!_ in the air. At first, Loki couldn’t penetrate her shield, but he pressed harder, using his God-given strength to break the shield’s barrier. Phoebe felt the pressure on her body and clenched every muscle to hold on, but before she could blink, her barrier shattered like glass into the air molecules, fading away.

Thor screamed, “No!” and launched himself over Phoebe, knocking her out of the way and indirectly caused himself to be hit with the scepter. He fell onto his stomach.

Despite it _feeling_ like it was in slow motion, it happened in less than a few seconds, leaving almost no room for Phoebe to react. She glared at Loki and shot both hands out towards him, exploding his body molecules. It didn’t kill him like Phoebe hoped, but it did knock him out for a minute or two.

“Thor, come on. You gotta get up,” Phoebe groaned, bending down to pull him up. He was heavy – too heavy for her petite body to handle. She was, however, able to flip him on his back. She let her energy waves glow over his body to find where the imbalance of molecules was the worst. His brain.

“Thor’s down. He got hit by the scepter,” Phoebe commed.

“Can you reverse it?” Natasha asked Gunshots fired in the background.

“I’m trying!” Phoebe shouted. She set to work on healing the molecular imbalance caused by the scepter. Thor opened his eyes, and they were not his normal ice blue. He struggled against her, and because he was way stronger than she was, he easily kicked her off and stood over her. “Thor, don’t do this. It’s the scepter!”

“You pathetic humans think you’re the winning race!” Thor shouted. Loki was conscious again and standing next to Thor, using the scepter to his advantage. Thor’s eyes glowed bright blue as Loki commanded him. “You’ll see just what Asgardians are truly capable of!”

 “I just might come to like you after all, brother,” Loki said with a wicked grin.

Thor reached for his hammer. But it wasn’t moving. Thor tried multiple times to lift it, to no avail.

Phoebe smirked. “You’re not worthy, Thor. You’re evil now. It doesn’t belong to you anymore!” With that, Phoebe kicked Thor in the face and swiveled herself upright, hands fiery purple. She shot energy blasts to both men, knocking Thor down the side of the tower while Loki managed to hitch a ride on one of the Chitauri’s aircrafts.

“Thor’s been compromised. I repeat, Thor is compromised. Do not engage him!” Phoebe yelled into her comm.

***

Steve gulped. One of their most powerful allies was now one of their enemies. They had to stay alert if they were to survive. Thor’s lightning crackled, and he landed in front of Captain America, Black Widow and Hawkeye.

“Whoa,” Black Widow said, eyeing him up. “Thor, you don’t look so good.”

“I feel more powerful than ever before,” Thor said in a low rumble. “And I shall use that power to stop the Avengers.”

Cap stepped in front of Black Widow. “Thor, this isn’t you. We’re your teammates.”

“I work alone,” Thor growled. He punched Steve in the gut, sending him flying into a car.

Black Widow put her guns away and lit an electric zapper. She cartwheeled and flipped over Thor. Hawkeye distracted him with explosive arrows that went off just before it caused damage to anyone. Black Widow stuck the zapper into Thor’s side, causing him to cower to the ground in pain. Cap ran over and engaged in head to hand combat with Thor, almost winning until Thor grabbed his shield and tossed it across the road. They fought Thor, each of them losing out on their unique abilities until the sounds of a motor engine approach. Steve refused to give up, though he could feel a few ribs needed to be reset.

“What the hell is going on?” Banner yelled, running up, holding Cap’s shield that he picked up on the way to them. Thor was holding Steve up by his throat, ready to slam him into the ground. “Thor, stop! What are you- _oh_.” Banner gasped when he saw the flicker of ice blue in Thor’s eyes. “Cap!” Banner threw the shield at Captain America and he grasped it long enough to jab Thor repeatedly in the side, forcing Thor to let go of him.

“Now would be a really,” Steve punched Thor in the face, “great time,” another punch to the jaw, “for you to,” a spin-kick in the chest, “get angry!” Steve hit Thor over the head with his shield, knocking him backwards.

“That’s my secret, Cap. I’m always angry.”

Banner smiled at Natasha and turned back to Thor, willing himself to turn into the Hulk. Bursting through his clothing, his color scheme changed to green, and his muscles increased to an enormous size and shape. Steve was knocked into Natasha and Hawkeye by Thor.

“I am Thor, Prince of Asgard and servant to Loki, the God of Mischief!” Thor yelled at the beast.

Steve looked up as the Hulk approached Thor, a smirk on his face. Hulk kicked Thor up in the air and then he preceded to jump and smacked Thor into a nearby building before slamming him back onto the ground. Thor groaned from the road, tumbling to his side and spitting out droplets of blood. Thor leaped back into a fighting stance and fought against the Hulk, managing to punch him square in the jaw and send the Hulk flying into a bus.

“Is Banner there?” Tony chimed in the comms.

“Not exactly,” Steve said as he watched the fight. “But the Hulk is.”

“Guess he decided to join our little superhero group after all.” Steve smirked. “How’s Thor?”

“Still under the effects of the scepter,” Barton said. “Hulk’s beating the crap out of him, though. If he keeps it up, he’s gonna knock him unconscious.”

“That’s it!” Natasha shouted. She held her hands to her mouth to extend her voice. “Hulk!”

Hulk looked at Black Widow. She remained still. Steve held up his shield, ready to defend her if that was necessary. He wasn’t sure what to expect. Hulk’s eyes were pitch black, but surprisingly, when he met Natasha’s eyes, it seemed like his eyes softened.

“You have to knock him unconscious!” Natasha shouted.

“Hulk, smash!” Steve shouted at him in layman’s terms.

 _RAAAAAAAAAWWWRRRRR!_ Hulk screamed.

“You’re no match for me, green monster!” Thor shouted, jumping down from being trapped against the bricks of a building.

Hulk grabbed Thor by the throat and slammed him back and forth, side to side, until Thor kicked him up in the air. Hulk used that momentum and came down hard, slamming his fist at such a hard impact that it sent Thor through the bridge and into the road below them.

Thor was out.

***  
 

“Phoebe,” Steve breathed, looking relieved. “You’re okay.”

“It’s not every day I get to say I fought against two Gods and won, so yeah… I’m better than okay,” Phoebe said with a smirk. “Is Thor okay?”

“He needed a nap,” Steve gestured to the hole in the bridge.

“He won’t be out for long,” Phoebe said. “I’ll try to reverse its effects. Hulk?”

Hulk roared, breathing heavy. He looked like he was ready to pick a fight.

“Can you hold his arms down?”

Hulk made a grunt noise and jumped down to Thor, Phoebe levitating behind him. He used his feet and pressed them onto Thor’s arms and pushed down.

Phoebe knelt beside Thor. “I’m gonna get you fixed up so we can stop your brother,” she whispered to him. She held both hands _on_ his head for a more powerful effect. They glowed bright purple, and the veins of Thor’s head shined purple, his heartbeat pumping her powers into his brain. Upon entering his mind, Phoebe felt a hard _zap!_ and it almost made her lose connection.

_Guilt. Sorrow. Worry._

Phoebe sensed his guilt over his brother growing up with him and yet still being a shadow as Thor was considered the best over Loki. She felt his sorrow and saw the memory of Loki dying right before his eyes, only to be alive on Earth and trying to destroy a world that gave him a second chance. His worry was growing as he feared the Avengers would kill his brother, and that he would have no choice in the matter. Memories penetrated Phoebe’s aura and it felt as though she was experiencing them along with Thor. She encapsulated the scepter’s barrier over Thor’s mind and used her powers to shatter the barrier like Loki did to her force field.

Thor gasped and opened his eyes, except this time they were glowing purple.


	9. Everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers work together as a team to take out Loki and the Chitauri. Phoebe makes a split-second decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may or may not make a Chapter 10 or just make it a one-shot attached to this story. What do you guys think? <3

***

Thor shot up, throwing his head wildly in every direction, feeling slightly off balance. He stood up, hoping the dizzy feeling was dissipate before the Chitauri and Leviathans came after them again. “What happened?”

Phoebe had a smile on her face. “You jumped in front of the scepter for me. You saved my life.”

“Of course, you nearly killed all of us,” Barton countered with a shrug.

“My apologies for any trouble I’ve caused,” Thor said. And he meant it. Though he’s only known these people for about 24 hours, he liked each and every one of them. Even… dare he admit it… Stark.

“All’s forgiven,” Steve said as he offered a hand to Thor. “You saved Phoebe. We’re square.”

“Very well.” Thor extended his hand outward and waited. The familiar hum of Mjolnir approached the group, effortlessly gliding in the air and settling on Thor’s grasp. He smiled wide upon feeling his hand wrapped around the leather binding. Worthy once more.

“Now that that’s settle. I’m bringing the party to you,” Tony commed to the group.

“I don’t see how that’s a party,” Black Widow said when the creature was in eye distance.

Hulk beat the creature’s head into the rubble while Tony fired a missile at the creature to split it in half. Phoebe encased Widow, Hawkeye, Cap, and Thor in a force field to protect them from debris. Thor found himself being innately drawn to Phoebe’s powers. Perhaps it was how calm and confident Phoebe looked while she wielded such inhuman abilities, he wasn’t sure. But whatever the reason, Thor was glad to have her on their side. The Chitauri screamed at the top of their lungs and descended down the side of the buildings once the Leviathan was killed.

“I think you pissed them off, Tony,” Phoebe said in a joking manner.

“Yeah, well, they touched my stuff,” Tony replied, his voice echoing in a metallic overlay.

***

Phoebe finally felt the one emotion she had been waiting for as she gathered around her fellow Avengers for the first time as a team.

_Harmony._

“Guys?” Black Widow gulped, looking at the sky.

They all looked up. More Leviathans and Chitauri came out of the portal, which meant more destruction headed their way.

“Call it, Captain!” Iron Man said.

“Alright, listen up,” Steve said. “Phoebe, status on the portal?”

“Loki has his scepter, so I guess I’m the only option left to close the portal,” Phoebe said.

“You’re sure?”

Phoebe felt her heat skip a beat as she nodded. “Yeah, I can do it.” Iron Man looked over at Phoebe, and even through the metal helmet she sensed he was worried. “I’ll be fine, Ton. Promise.”

Iron Man’s helmet retracted, and his feet touched the ground. He walked up to Phoebe. “Your dad would be so proud of you.”

 _Damn him,_ Phoebe thought as she felt her cheeks flush. Talking about her dad with Tony was personal, especially as they were both positive their parents were killed by the same people. “Mr. Stark would be proud, too. Even if he didn’t show it.”

A small smile tugged at Tony’s lip, though he did his best to cover it up by locking his helmet in. Phoebe knew it was a sensitive topic, so she didn’t say a word when he jetted off into the sky, taking out multiple Chitauri in his wake.

***

Phoebe spun her hands in tiny circles and snapped her fingers, activating the purple energy. Steve was used to seeing her powers now. He loved watching her attitude change when she activated her powers. They seemed to give her a confidence boost, which she could use right now. But a few words of encouragement could help, too, right?

“Phoebe?” Steve asked, hoping to catch her attention before she left.

Phoebe turned around. “Yeah, Steve?”

“If it helps… I know you can do this.” Steve felt like he was back in 1943, trying desperately to make a good impression on his date for the evening. Except, with Phoebe, he felt even more nervous that he stuttered. Captain America stuttered _in_ combat. _I have got to step up my social game,_ Steve thought.

“It does. Help, I mean.” Phoebe tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and looked up at him through her lashes, her green eyes sparkling like diamonds catching on the mid-day rays. She was so beautiful, even in the middle of combat with a blood trail on her temple and dirt caked on her neck.

 _Say something, dumbass._ “You’ve got the power to do anything.”

“If I don’t make it-” No. That wasn’t an option. Steve pressed a gloved hand to her cheek, gently tugging her face so she could meet his eyes and see for herself that dying was _not_ an option. Not today.

Steve felt a random surge of courage and went with it. He dipped his head to her 5’3 height and captured her lips in a kiss. It wasn’t messy or heated, but the passion was there, surrounding them as they traded kisses back and forth to each other, holding one another close.

Her touch set fire to his soul, and he leaned into the kiss, feeling lightheaded despite his enhanced stamina. He was drunk on her. It was in this moment, as they were surrounded by Chitauri bodies, dirt, grime, and their teammates that he vowed she was to never be in pain, broken, unsure of herself, or alone ever again. For as long as he breathed, he would make sure she was taken care of. Steve needed to feel closer to her. He dipped his head, kissing her back, and it was over. Phoebe’s tongue traced his bottom lip and he let his body do the walking for him because he was too intoxicated to move. His lips parted and when their tongues touched, it was electric. Steve wrapped his arms tighter around her toned frame, acting purely on instinct. His tongue danced with hers in his mouth until he pulled away at the sounds of Chitauri screaming nearby.

Steve kept his shield behind her, as if to say to the world, “she’s mine”. In his heart, that’s all he wanted. He knew that at some point, she had to go. But he couldn’t will himself to pull away from her embrace. “You _will_ make it. I have faith in you,” he confessed through pants, resting his forehead against hers. “I always have.”

He could feel the heat of her blush against his skin. “And I have faith that when this is all over, you’ll ask me out on the proper way,” Phoebe replied, pulling away from him. “I don’t mean this century’s way. I mean _your_ way.”

Steve understand that reference perfectly.

“Ugh, please don’t make me throw up in this thing,” Tony said, echoing gag sounds from his helmet. “I haven’t installed cleaning software yet.”

“It’s a date,” Steve was happy to answer. “Now go be a hero.”

***

Phoebe’s head was still spinning from her second kiss with Steve. But there was work to be done. So she looked at him one last time, memorizing every dimple, mole and freckle on his face in case she’d never get the chance to look at him again. She threw her hands up above her head and cast them down to her hips, spurring an electric boost that levitated her up in the air. Balancing herself on the air’s molecules, she glided upwards towards Stark Tower. She found Selvig still trying to recalibrate the portal, but so far he seemed to be failing. Phoebe glanced over her shoulder where Thor was sending waves of electricity to the portal, taking out Chitauri and Leviathans before they could reach the city grounds. Then she noted that a Chitauri aircraft was headed towards the tower, though something was off. There someone on it. Squinting, Phoebe could make out that Natasha was on the craft with Loki trailing behind her and firing explosive blasts at her engines.

“Uh, I could use a little help,” Natasha’s waveringly voiced in the coms.

“Hang on!” Phoebe and Barton shouted in unison.

“Barton, distract Loki. I got Nat,” Phoebe said.

“I got him,” Barton assured her.

Loki didn’t seem impressed with Barton’s shooting skills. He held the arrow away from his head and turned to look at Barton from behind. The arrow exploded, and Loki went flying out of the craft, landing on the penthouse patio with Hulk launching straight for him. _Your ass is grass,_ Phoebe thought happily. Natasha screamed when her aircraft exploded. Phoebe used her powers to manipulate the molecules below Natasha, levitating her up until she reached the rooftop and grabbed Selvig’s hand.

“That was close,” Nat said, letting out a heavy sigh. “Update on the portal?”

“I built a safety net into the machine. Loki’s scepter can close the portal,” Selvig explained. He was bloodied and bruised, barely holding himself upright. Phoebe scanned him for wounds, finding a laceration on his side. She tugged the wound together and mended the molecules, though Selvig was very vocal about the discomfort. “Thank you, Agent Reynolds.”

“Loki has the scepter,” Phoebe told him. Now that Selvig was on their side again, perhaps he could be of some help. “What if I phase through the force field and forced the Cube’s power to collapse on itself while maintaining a force field around the power source? Would that close the portal?”

“There’s no telling if you’d survive an impact like that, even with your enhanced abilities!” Selvig shouted over the portal to Phoebe, sounding totally against the idea. Damn, she was hoping he’d have a better answer that that.

“But it could work?”

There was a brief pause before Selvig dipped his head downward, mumbling, “Yes, it would work,” with a heavy sigh.

Phoebe took a deep breath. She clenched her fists into an X position and her arms went completely invisible. “Well, here goes nothing.”

Natasha stopped Phoebe just before her hands touched the containment shield. “I can go get the scepter. Just give me some time to-”

“We don’t have time,” Tony chimed in on the comm. “There’s nuke heading for the city.”

 _Well, there’s the icing on the cake,_ Phoebe thought with an eye roll.

“I have to do this, Nat,” Phoebe amended with a frown. The containment had tiny electric impulses conducting around the sepherical shield, frightening her a bit. Natasha and Selvig’s unsettling emotions were distracting her, so she closed her eyes to concentrate.

Tony came through sounding desperate. “Wait! I know exactly where to put the nuke. It’s gonna blow in less than a minute.” A beat. “On my cue, start the containment process.”

Waiting set Phoebe’s nerves on edge. Her powers did not always work when her hands were sweaty, so she constantly wiped them against her pleather fuchsia suit. Natasha held one of Phoebe’s hands as they watched Tony thrust the nuke upwards and head for the portal.

“Come on, Stark,” Natasha whispered to herself and Phoebe.

“You got this, Ton,” Phoebe encouraged, touching her earwig so he’d hear her.

“Now!” Tony shouted the minute he was through.

Natasha dragged Selvig out of the way as Phoebe stuck her hands against the shield. _Shit!_ The electric shield vibrated against her own energy, burning her hands from the inside out like she was touching them against a lit stove. Gritting her teeth, she pushed her hands against the barrier harder and harder, her screaming echoing loudly throughout the comm system. Natasha had to take her earwig out until Phoebe’s screams settled. Using her mind, she worked to breakdown its molecular components. The shield slowly began to crack until it dispersed into the air like blue raindrops fading into the cloudbanks. Exhaustion swept over her body, forcing her to lean against the machine with her hands now exposed to the Cube. The energy of the Cube ripped away at her fingerless gloves and gave her second degree burns going up her arms. Phoebe felt nauseous as the pain intensified to the point she was seeing black spots. And she only broke through the Cube’s barrier.

“Phoebe, what’s happening? Do you copy?” Steve’s voice echoed in her earwig, but she was too weak to respond.

“She’s got her hand in the machine,” Natasha explained, her voice sounded very unsteady. Natasha must have seen her hands because she let out a horrified gasp. “I think it’s killing her.” Phoebe started to collapse forward, her eyes suddenly feeling very heavy. “Oh my god!”

“Alright, that’s it!  Phoebe, abort! We can find another way!” Steve pleaded.

Phoebe mustered just enough strength to open her mouth. “I can do this…” she moaned through the hoarseness in her voice. _I can’t let my team down, but it’s too much. And I’m so tired…_

Time lapsed. There were moments where the portal shrunk, and moments where the portal widened. She managed to make a force field around the machine, encasing herself inside it.

 _Your power doesn’t come from your brain, Phoebe. It comes from your heart_. _Feel with all your heart, my child._

Phoebe closed her eyes, tears slipping down her cheeks as she remembered exactly when her father said that to her. She had just blown up their apartment while they argued over her curfew, and she managed to encase them in a force field bubble as the explosion went off around them. He wasn’t mad or upset. He was proud of her. Because she listened to her heart and chose their safety over trying to fix what she had done.

A lightbulb flashed. Maybe her powers weren’t meant to be used to fix the world. Maybe… maybe they were meant to be used to heal the world. So every moment – every milestone in her life – lead to this moment. Being sick and having no choice but rely on herself for what she needed, the super soldier serum being altered and her volunteering because she had nothing else to lose, being handed over to S.H.I.E.L.D., getting kidnapped by Kaprov and tortured to point it messed with power strength. They weren’t coincidences.

She was meant to be here.

 _So let me get this straight. You save her from a group of vampire Russians who want her blood for the serum only to train her to be one of your most powerful spies. Tell me. How does that make sense?_ A memory of Tony screaming at Fury flickered.

_We wouldn’t expect you to understand, Mr. Stark, but Phoebe has been the best thing to happen to S.H.I.E.L.D. and we intend on protecting her for as long as it takes._

As long as it takes. As long as it takes for her to fulfill her duty.

As an Avenger. It was his intention all along, even if he made it seem like it wasn’t.

Phoebe opened her eyes. They were an animated purple, flashing between her normal green and the purple of her energy waves. Where this sudden burst of strength came from, Phoebe had no clue, but she stood up and leaned over the machine, forcing her hands further inside until she touched the Cube. Phoebe grunted, clenching down on her jaw as the pressure of the Cube absorbed through her body.

Tony was nowhere in sight. Phoebe refused to admit it to herself, but the odds that he was alive were slim. But while she still had the strength, she wanted to wait.

“Close it,” Steve said, solemn.

“What about Tony?” Phoebe managed to ask, though she was weak.

“Close it, Phoebe! We have no choice!” Natasha shouted over the winds.

Phoebe felt more tears fall roll down her blood-stained cheek, stinging an open wound that she hadn’t even known was there. It was either the world or her best friend.

 _I love you, Sparks. You’re the reason I had the strength to tell everyone I was Iron Man in the first place_ , Tony once confided in her.

“Damn you,” Phoebe cursed through sobs, and she closed her eyes once more. She let out an inhuman scream as she activated her powers. She figured in order to close the portal, she’d have to heal the molecule of the Cube until the power was contained inside of it. It was working, but at the expense of her life. Phoebe’s eyes flew open as they turned ice blue while her veins glowed the same color. Her screams stopped, and she felt like the Cube was taking over. Nothing could have prepared her to experience of the Cube interacting with her own energy source as the molecules were detoxified and healed within the tesseract itself. Words couldn’t describe the pain, but she couldn’t move her mouth to scream. She had to take it.

After a minute, the Cube’s energy started to contain itself again, leaving Phoebe’s body. There was a downside. As the Cube’s energy left Phoebe’s body, she felt her body weakening until her strength was gone once again. Her powers were fading. Her body shook. It was a struggle for her heart to beat. She didn’t notice that her breathing had slowed to almost nothing until her brain power did.

 _Oh god,_ was her last formable thought. _I’m dying._

But she held on for dear life, refusing to let up until it was forced on her. Though her vision was tunneled, she managed to look up at the sky and watch the portal shrinking and shrinking, the blue energy waves thinning. Phoebe smiled as she got to watch Tony flying through the portal at the last second before she blacked out.

***

The portal was closed. Phoebe did it. And Tony made it.

Hulk saved Tony from a deathly fall as his suit stopped working when he reached through the portal. Steve was grateful that Tony was alive after the Hulk screamed in his ear to wake him up. He was the type of hero to make the sacrifice play, after all.

All that was left was to go find-

Thor landed in front of Steve a moment later holding Phoebe bridal style.

“About this Shawarma joint…” Tony trailed off when he noticed Steve’s face change tone significantly in the opposite direction. He turned his head, wincing slightly, until his eyes fell to Phoebe’s limp body. She was bleeding from her nose, the blood dripping onto the concrete. Her face was battered from combat and her arms were severely burnt.

She looked dead.

“Oh, god,” Steve swallowed, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach. He took Phoebe from Thor’s arms and held her in his lap.

“This isn’t happening,” Tony muttered, staring blankly at her body.

“Tony,” Steve sobbed, looking at the billionaire with teary eyes as if he were asking for a favor. Steve felt powerless, like there was nothing he could do. But Tony had gadgets, right? There _had_ to be something.

Tony bit his lip as he pressed a finger to her throat. “There’s no heartbeat,” he mumbled to himself and Steve. He leaned back on his knees for only a moment before he shook his head. “Nope.” He unzipped the beginning of her bodysuit when Steve stopped him. “What the hell are you doing?”

“She’s gone, Tony,” Steve said in a heartbroken sob.

“Uhm, CPR?” Tony angrily quipped.

“CPR?” Steve echoed. Sometimes, being 70 years into the future  _really stunk_.

“Cardiopulmonary resuscitation. For every 30 compressions, you breathe in the lungs twice,” Tony babbled while he shrugged Phoebe out the top half of her bodysuit. Surprisingly enough, Hulk stood in front of Phoebe, acting as a barrier to keep her bared chest from the remaining members of the group as well as the public. “Huh. I always knew she never wore anything under this.”

“Stark, so help me-” Steve hissed, too angry to continue. He was tired, bruised, angry, and mourning. The last thing he wanted was Tony making obscene comments.

“Steve, I hate to break it to you,” Tony began pounding compressions on her chest, “but this ain’t the first time I’ve seen _or_ touched her-”

“I don’t want to know,” Steve glared. Okay, he lied. He really wanted to know why and how Tony would have been that close to an intimate part of her. Sure, he was Phoebe’s best friend, but that couldn’t have meant… did it?

Tony checked Phoebe’s pulse. “Nothing,” he said in defeat.

Natasha skid under Hulk’s feet, to which he growled loudly at her. “Oh hush, big guy. She’s my friend, too. I’ve seen her ass stark naked.” Tony grinned. “What about your suit? Can’t you shock her?”

“No juice,” Tony replied, sounding agitated.

“Do that cardio thing again,” Steve rambled to Tony. “We can’t just let her die!”

“Don’t you think I know that?!” Tony growled at him.

“I have an idea. Stark, stand up.” Thor looked at Natasha. “Do whatever it was that Stark was doing.” Natasha continued CPR on Phoebe while Tony – albeit hestitantly – stood up, placing his helmet back together. Thor then lifted his hammer, gathering electricity from the clouds.

“The woods,” Tony remembered aloud. Thor passed the current from his hammer to Tony’s his suit just like in the woods. Tony knelt beside Phoebe.

“Suits at 200%,” Tony announced. He knelt beside Phoebe and Natasha stopped CPR. He place his metal hands over her breasts, but then stopped. “What if she needs more Jules than the average human?”

“Makes sense because of the serum,” Steve offered. It definitely would take a lot to jolt Steve back if need be, so why not Phoebe?

“I’m eyeballing it,” Tony said. He manually sent repulsive shocks to Phoebe one right after the other. Steve watched carefully as her body flailed violently like a fish out of water. _Was she supposed to do that?_ He wondered.

“Heartbeat detected,” JARVIS said. “Good work, sir.”

Steve breathed heavily, and kissed the crown of her still unconscious head. “You’re gonna be okay, sweetheart. I’m right here…”

***

_“You’re gonna be okay, sweetheart. I’m right here…”_

Phoebe’s eyes fluttered open.

Bright lights. Cold air. White walls. Glass doors. The faint aroma of antiseptic.

_Ah, crap. I’m in the hospital again._

That wasn’t all, she realized. A dozen red and a dozen white roses took residence on her nightstand – her favorite flower. She smiled and leaned over to touch the bouquet when one of her leads came off. The sounds of flatlining behind he alerted the staff, who came in her ICU room within minutes with a crash cart. The doctor sighed and reached around his neck to grab his stethoscope and check her vitals. Not far behind, aside from Thor, the rest of her teammates charged in not long after with worried looks on their faces until they saw that she wasn’t dead, but alive!

Phoebe waved. “Uhm, hey guys?”

“Damn it, Sparks,” Tony cursed. “You really want me to have a heart attack one of these days, don’t you?”

Steve, being that mediator, stepped in front of Tony and sat down. “How are you feeling?” he asked. Phoebe watched his eyes wavered between her and the cords wrapped around her body. If it wasn’t for the blanket wrapped around her chest, she would have wondered what Steve was thinking.

_Relief._

Well, that answered that.

“Is that Shawarma?” Phoebe glanced at the leftovers in Tony’s hand.

“Yeah. Not as good as I thought it’d be. We hoped you’d wake up sometime today,” Tony said, handing her the container, unable to hide his smile. “God, you really gotta to stop scaring me with these comas, kid.”

Phoebe froze, setting the box in her lap. “Coma?” She looked at Steve worriedly. He picked up on it right away and interlaced their fingers, rubbing gentle circles with the pad of his thumb. “How long was I out?”

Tony shrugged, nonchalant. “A week.”

Phoebe’s eyes bulged, her mouth agape. “Oh my god,” she groaned, throwing her head back against her pillow. “I’m losing too much time with these comas. How many comas does it take before brain damage is an issue?” she joked, though she really was half-serious.

“You’re lucky you didn’t lose your life,” Banner said softly from behind Hawkeye. “Tony and I did some tests, and you got lucky. Your molecules are in a constant state of change because of your powers, so your body went into a coma to protect it from the Cube’s effects.”

“Where’s Loki? And the Cube?”

“Thor took him and it back to Asgard a few days ago, but he wanted us to call as soon as you woke up,” Natasha said, and approached her feet. She pretended to play with Phoebe’s feet, which she knew were her ticklish spots.

“Nat, if I kick you, it’s on you,” Phoebe warned and yanked her feet away with a grin. “How exactly can we call someone from another planet?”

“He gave us an Asgardian device that allows intergalactic calling,” Hawkeye said in between laughs. The team looked at him. “What? Y’all don’t think it’s funny? Come on.”

Steve managed a little chuckle before turning back to Phoebe. “I’m just glad you’re okay,” he said, giving her hand a light squeeze. It would’ve been romantic had it not been for the IV cord wrapping between their fingers. So Phoebe did the next best thing: she ripped the damn thing out, and the wound healed almost instantly. “Gotta admire that healing factor,” Steve mumbled.

“That’s not the only thing I admire,” Phoebe replied with a wink.

“Okay,” Tony said, shivering, “with that, I think we should all be going now.” He kissed her forehead. “Love ya, Sparks.”

“Love you, too. I’m glad you’re okay, too.”

“Yeah, I can cross flying through a space portal with a nuke off my bucket list.”

“Alone at last,” Steve said once the time left. He leaned in and gave her a tender kiss. “A week without kissing you is too long.”

“That just means we have a week’s worth of kissing to make up for,” Phoebe replied before her lips were on him again. She could get lost in the taste that was undoubtedly Steve. It was best high she’d ever experienced, and if she could kiss him everyday all day, she’d have no problem with that. He was addicting.

But oxygen was a necessity. Phoebe pulled back, placing small kisses on the corner of his jaw as she did.

“There’s something else we have to make up for, too,” Steve reminded her. Phoebe raised a suspicious brow. Steve blushed. “Okay, that’s _not_ what I meant.”

“I know what you meant,” Phoebe said.

“I believe we had a date scheduled.”

“That we did, Captain.”

Steve swallowed, and Phoebe giggled upon feeling his nerves. “Well, the doctors are going to check you out later and if everything looks good, I want to take you to dinner this Friday to celebrate.”

Friday was two days away. Not soon enough for Phoebe. But she would have to manage. “Celebrate what?”

“Everything. Surviving New York, your clean bill of health, you and me- I mean, us- I mean if there’s-”

“I knew it!” Phoebe exclaimed with excitement in her voice. “I knew there was an us!”

“Of course. There always has been this unspoken connection,” Steve replied as if that was no surprise. “I mean, you want there to be an ‘us’, don’t you?”

“I want to be happy,” Phoebe admitted, looking down at their hands then smiling back at Steve’s bright blue orbs that were screaming with anticipation. “And you make me happy.”

Steve pulled her in closer, taking one last moment to stare deeply into her eyes.

 _Love_.

Their kiss was passionate and romantic and everything Phoebe could have wanted.

Steve was everything that Phoebe could have wanted. And more.


End file.
